Love Is Patient, Love Is Kind
Tony Stark didn't expect to find a bible sitting on the bench of his workshop.
He'd been down in his workshop for thirty-two hours straight right after he and Loki had an argument. It was pointless, really, because it was about something so simple that turned into an angst-filled full blown fight that ended the both of them in tears.
So naturally, Tony needed a distraction.
After he and Loki had an argument the last time about his alcohol consumption, the billionaire no longer drank his problems away, rather substituted that with tinkering new materials and upgrading his suits.
Anyway, he didn't expect a bible to be sitting beside his tools and holograms.
"JARVIS, what the hell is that thing doing here," Tony gruffly inquired. The genius wasn't even close to being a Catholic, and as far as he knew (which was indeed, very far) he didn't even own one.
A robotic sigh. "It seems to have appeared there out of nowhere, Sir. And now that I am scanning the bible, Sir, it is from Loki and is bookmarked in a particular page. It also seems like he wishes you to read it, Sir."
Tony's eyebrows drew together, putting down his wrench. He wiped grease off his hands and picked the book up with a newfound respect he somehow conjured. He wasn't a religious person, no not at all, but somehow, he needed to open it carefully, like it was a thousand year old book. It was, of course, but you get the point.
Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not envious, or boastful, or arrogant, or rude. It does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, and hopes all things.
And now, faith, hope and love abide. These three, and the greatest of these is love.
"I found it and I wanted to know if this is what you believe in," a small voice said behind him.
Tony turned around to see Loki standing in an oversized shirt, his eyes still puffy and red. Tony shook his head slightly, and he said "Mom was the Catholic one, not me. Personally, I feel a little caged by this…religion, or whatever, and science rules my life, but this…this…I guess I can make an exception with this one. I used to read this before, you know, when Mom left her bible back at home. Course, she died."
Loki chuckles a little, a tentative step on the cold-tiled floor.
"What does it mean to you?"
Tony scrunched up his eyebrows and finally he knew.
He understands.
"I think the first line is wrong. Love isn't patient at all. Love won't stop pacing behind the ICU's doors, hoping its lover isn't going to die. Love won't stop fighting for anything and everything that threatens to screw up its love." Tony stepped forward, embracing the god gently.
"Love isn't kind. Love means surrendering to brutality, no matter what it costs. Love is pushing down your ego and pride and tries to stop itself from murdering its lover's torturer. Love is forcing the negative things down, because it knows that it's over and there's no use for bloodshed anymore. That's as kind as love can get." A kiss on the neck.
"Love isn't envious or boastful, but it's rude. Love gives no warning, it just throws you out the window of the hundredth floor. Love knocks the air out of you and then kisses you on the lips with the fury of a madman. Love is arrogant and is rude because darling, that's just who we are." A tighter embrace.
"Love definitely insists on its own way, you don't have an idea on how wrong that line is. Love doesn't take its usual path. It goes toward a deranged yet pure mass-murderer with intentions of healing. Love goes straight to the man who drank his problems away and hurt so much people with just a single breath. No, Love forges its own destiny. It doesn't rejoice in wrongdoing, rather, tries to survive. Tries to heal. Tries to help and to kiss away those scars." A tear runs down a cheek.
"Love bears all things. Insecurity, pain, hurt, disconnection and the worst of all, separation. Love believes all things. Love endures all things," Tony kisses Loki fully on the lips.
"I'm sorry. For my insecurity, for my stupidity," Loki breathily murmured.
Tony shook his head, looking at the bible, and felt his mother's pride.
His mother would be proud.
"I love you. I think, I'll start going to church now, darling. But oh right, I would be breaking lotsa laws, huh? Being gay, was a previous playboy and did it with anything that could spread its legs. Hmm, I live with another god, too."
Loki laughed.
This was a story for another time.
Love is patient, love is kind
End